Clarity
by Mighty ANT
Summary: Of course Finn cared about her. Holley was his daughter after all, and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. As well as never telling her the truth. Slight AU -A series of vignettes- Complete!
1. Clarity

**Clarity**

_~Of course Finn cared about her. Holley was his daughter after all, and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. As well as never telling her the truth. AU~_

_A series of vignettes _

_~Cars (c) PIXAR 2011~_

* * *

They had been unable to save her.

_He _had been unable to save her.

The Jaguar laid on a lift in front of him, dim hospital lights casting a faint glow over her lavender paint. Her eyes were closed, as they would always remain from now on. The cause of death was 'unknown' meaning (of course) that it was classified. But Finn knew that it had been done by a bullet that'd been aimed at him.

And she had been with child.

The infant was well at least, small because of the early birth, but healthy nevertheless. And it was his.

The Aston Martin shifted his gaze towards the Plexiglas crib a few feet away, and shuddered. He knew that he couldn't care for a child. His job was far too dangerous, his life far too hectic. A spy couldn't raise a child. And yet it was his nonetheless. All he could do with give the infant to someone who could care for her. And yes, the infamous Finn McMissile was father to a young girl.

Rolling over to the crib, he gazed idly over the sleeping car before him. She was tiny, hardly bigger than his tire, and yet managed to survive when no one thought it possible. Her eyes had only opened once, and they had been the same color as her mother's. A brilliant, jade green.

It pained him to think that he would never see her mature, never able to watch her grow into a—positively—confident young woman. That was his only regret. Or one of them, at least.

The Aston Martin wheeled back, sighing quietly. He would never even know her name. The family that took her in would name her, and he would have no relation whatsoever. He probably wouldn't even see her again.

The spy car then began to make his way out of the hospital, containing the two women he now considered the most important in his life, and left them behind. The child could do better, and didn't deserve a father like him.

* * *

She'd been given her mother's name.

The Aston Martin gazed up at the monitor in shock, eyes never leaving the bright screen. _Holley _Shiftwell. The young car that was supposed to meet him in Tokyo just happened to be his daughter.

He hadn't seen her in over twenty years….he could only imagine that she looked exactly like her mother. "Something wrong, Finn?" Siddeley inquired, perturbed by his friend's silence. The spy car simply grinned softly.

"No, old chap. Everything's perfectly fine."

* * *

Even when he first laid eyes on her, Finn knew that she was his daughter. She looked exactly like her mother—as he'd predicted—soft lips and bright eyes that mirrored those of his lost love.

She didn't recognize him of course, how could she? Holley was a tad oblivious however, just like her mother had been about his undercover work, but he swiftly corrected her and they drove over to an elevator with some excuse about canapés. She was apparently in the technical department, with no experience in the field, and relied far too much on the spy manual. She was also quite critical. And yet, he wanted her as his partner.

He had missed out on a majority of her life, and though she didn't know it, Finn owed her. And so, despite her protests, Holley soon found herself as a field agent, with a top-notch partner, who just happened to be her father.

* * *

Finn couldn't bring himself to call her by her first name.

It brought back to many memories, and she looked so much like her mother…at least he had the American spy to distract himself with. Watching the tow truck from a building close to the racetrack, the younger car worried about him exposing himself. The Aston Martin had to remind her time and time again that it was simply his cover…that rust _must_ have been expensive….

The elder spy car did everything in his power to keep his gaze away from his daughter. It shocked him to the very core how similar she looked to her mother. Just one little slipup and he would admit everything…she couldn't know the truth, Finn had ultimately decided, as he leapt out of the window and out onto the streets below, leaving his daughter behind to warn the American spy. And he couldn't call her by her real name, lest he open old wounds once more.

And so she would remain 'Miss Shiftwell.'

* * *

Finn supposed that this day could've gone a bit better.

They'd started out alright, the Aston Martin doing his best to avoid eye contact with his partner and busying himself with their newest addition, the tow truck playing his part perfectly. At least until revealing that he and the racecar McQueen actually _were_ friends, and not just his cover. The elder spy car had been quick to warn them about the dangers of developing friendships in their line of work—he had already noticed Mater making eyes, obviously smitten, towards his daughter— and that had been the end of the conversation.

They'd arrived in Porto Corsa, sneaking Mater in with a disguise, and things went smoothly until the tow truck discovered that they were going to use the dreaded machine to kill his friend. He had full faith in his daughter that she would lead Mater out, and the Aston Martin raced towards the location of the Gremlin and Pacer, who would have the weapon.

It was then that everything fell apart.

They were all captured; their cover's blown, and had woken up inside Big Bentley, minutes from being crushed by its gears. Finn had hoped faintly that his daughter had been spared by this morbid fate, but no such luck. It seemed that they were all going to perish, and he'd never even told her.

Making a joke out of their predicament, the Aston Martin mentally cursed himself. It seemed that he would be taking his secret to the grave.

The elder spy car barely heard Mater's revelation that he _wasn't _in fact a spy, instead thinking of his daughter's fate. All of their fates, in fact. He couldn't subject his daughter to this—not Holley. Finn opened his mouth, prepared to tell her—tell both of them the truth—when the two lemons from before interrupted.

They taunted the poor tow truck, preparing to use their weapon on his friend, but nothing seemed to happen. Both of them left soon after, telling the trapped cars about a bomb in McQueen's pit area, and Mater promptly figured out a way to free himself of his bindings. With worry shining in his eyes, Finn had quickly assured the tow truck that both he and Holley would be all right, and he had set off determinedly.

"So…we'll really be fine?"

His daughter's voice jolted the Aston Martin back to reality, and he sighed internally before answering, "He would never have left if I told him the truth." He didn't need to see Holley to know that she deflated dejectedly. The gear they were tied to shifted, shaking them both, and an idea seemed to come to the Jaguar. She launched her taser several times, Finn incredulously inquiring what in the world she was doing just before they began to be crushed under the large gear above them (as they were meant to be) and Holley's answer sounded like something he would say.

"Trying to turn back time."

Her electric-shock device managed to reverse the polarity of the clock, and the gear they were tied too began to move (mercifully) in the other direction. From there, they drove apart so that a sharp gear on the opposite side could cut through their ropes, freeing them.

It was then that Finn realized his daughter was a genius.

* * *

The Aston Martin never told Holley the truth.

He had attempted to, several times in fact, but he would simply end up tongue-tied and have no idea of what to say. And so he let his actions show it instead. He would carefully show her the ropes, demonstrating the correct way to remain covert, and generally become a mentor for her. In response, he could only hope that she saw him as a father-figure. He tried his best, at least.

And it was after careful observation and hesitant questions that Finn found out that Holley never even _had_ a father-figure. Her adopted father—a young police car—had lost his life while on patrol when she was very young, not even ten years old….and so she had lost two fathers. This only made the Aston Martin feel even worse, but he could never bring himself to tell her those three words. She was so oblivious, but happy with her life, and her…boyfriend. Finn had yet to go threaten the tow truck, now that he thought about it…

The elder spy car remained silent as his daughter drove out of Siddeley to go into town, Mater waiting for her so that they could drive into Radiator Springs together. It hurt him to do so, act as if she were his partner and nothing more, remaining a mentor, but never a father. At the very least, he was with her now. Her mother surely would've prided him in that, at any rate.

After a moment of silence, Siddeley spoke, "So…she's your daughter?"

Finn grinned, an empty and almost melancholy thing, but a grin just the same, "Indeed she is."


	2. Secrets

_**Secrets**_

_~Second installment of 'Clarity'~_

_Cars 2 (c) PIXAR 2011_

* * *

Holley didn't tell Finn a lot of things.

She never told him that she'd secretly _wanted _to be his partner from the very beginning. The Jaguar had heard about the infamous Finn McMissile throughout her Academy days, and idolized him fully. And once the question was asked, (well he didn't _ask, _per say…) she had been surreptitiously overjoyed.

Holley by no means told him that she had always wondered about his aversions to friendships—and relationships in general—in their line of work, yet allowed her and Mater to date. She never questioned his reasoning.

She didn't ask why Finn acted so strange around her at times—how he treated her like she was made of glass one minute, and then a hardened spy the next.

Not once did Holley tell him that Siddeley had been prompting her to speak with him—to get the elder car to tell her why he was acting so…oddly.

In no way did she ever speak of the small fact that she would often talk to Mater about these things (he was actually an amazing confidant) and the tow truck would offer any input he could.

The Jaguar never asked about the well known 'Leland Turbo', killed by the very lemons they had defeated during the Grand Prix mission. He'd been a good friend of Finn's, apparently.

Holley didn't bring up the fact that Finn always stopped himself from calling her by her first name, instead reverting to the omnipresent 'Miss Shiftwell'.

And not once did she mention the photograph of the lavender Jaguar Finn would spend several minutes looking over when he thought she wouldn't notice.

But notice it she did, and Holley remained silent despite it all.


	3. Feelings

_**Feelings**_

_Third installment of 'Clarity'_

_~Cars 2 Characters (c) PIXAR 2011~_

* * *

When Holley had first come to him, she'd been confused; curious.

Finn had been acting strangely around her, and when the Jaguar received no answer from either the elder spy car or jet, she had come to him for advice. And while Mater wasn't exactly the best at giving counsel, per say, he did his best, and that certainly seemed to be enough.

Holley had left him a bit more contented after his mild suggestion of Finn having a distinct reason to keep such things from her, and the tow truck had returned to his can of oil, rather pleased with himself.

Or, at least he'd been for a while.

His slightly smug outlook had faded a few days later, when the violet spy car had just returned from a mission, positively furious. Mater had nearly seen steam rising from Holley's hood in her anger.

Something had apparently happened on this assignment, one the Jaguar didn't seem too adept at speaking about for some time, instead sitting off in a corner, fuming silently. It was only after several minutes of coaxing was Mater able to draw out his girlfriend, and he'd subsequently led her to Willie's Butte—Lightning was away for racing, and the dirt track was open and fortunately empty—giving them time to talk. And after some more cajoling on Mater's part, he was able to get the Jaguar to 'spill', hopefully finding the crux of her problem through speech.

And speak she did.

The words flowed freely from Holley's lips, the anger, betrayal, (mainly anger) and shock, at whatever it was someone had done. It was only when the elder spy car's name showed up time and time again did Mater realized that the Jaguar's rant was centered on Finn.

Having slightly lost track of the conversation, Mater cautiously raised a tire, voicing his dilemma. The violet car's tirade had been melded with words and phrases he didn't understand, completely and utterly losing him in the flurry of alien vocabulary.

Holley had taken a deep breath then, not annoyed with her beau in the slightest, (he was doing his best to help, after all) only trying to steady her nerves before stating it simply. During their mission, the Aston Martin had unrequitedly put her life in danger, and when it was almost lost, both cars on the near verge of death (once again) Finn had admitted something to Holley— a rather important bit of information that had changed the Jaguar's life forever, and fully blowing the tow truck's mind.

The Aston Martin was her father.


	4. Answers

_**Answers**_

_Final chapter of 'Clarity'_

_~Cars 2 (c) PIXAR 2011~_

* * *

Holley was positively furious, to put it mildly. Or had been, at least.

Once arriving back in Radiator Springs, the young Jaguar had immediately stormed out of Siddeley, having refused to speak to the elder spy car the entire trip. She'd barely acknowledged Finn, if glaring at him out of the corner of her eyes and fuming silently counted.

But she had returned only a few hours later, Finn noting that she was now definitely more composed, and the Aston Martin deduced that she had most likely spoken with a certain tow truck, who seemed to have calmed her down sufficiently. Having brought up her notable change in mood, he watched one of her eyelids rise in slight annoyance, before she reeled in the emotion at the last minute.

The Jaguar remained silent as she drove up the jet's ramp, idling before a monitor for several minutes. After a moment she spoke, "why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Finn shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze, "It's….a bit difficult to explain."

"Try me."

And so he did.

The next few hours were filled with nearly nonstop questions and answers, only broken by Siddeley's timely intrusion, adding his own input to their conversation. Holley addressed every subject, each and every topic, leaving nothing unrequited.

She wanted answers, to put it mildly. Why Finn had kept it from her for so long, how long he'd known, and most importantly, what her mother had looked like. The last question was particularly tricky to answer.

After several moments of silence on Finn's part (as well as Siddeley's) the violet spy car spoke again, voice low,"…what happened to her?"

_That_ matter at long last, the Aston Martin thought to himself. The final nail in the coffin.

"You resemble her in many ways, you know," Finn began, fully avoiding the question. "_Every_ way, actually. You have the same eyes…" A small, almost longing smile spread across the elder spy car's grill, before slowly fading as reality settled in, "you both share the same name."

"So that's why you never call me by my forename, then?"

Finn turned towards his daughter, both eyelids raised slightly in surprise, "Well…yes…"

There was a long moment of silence before Holley spoke again, "What were you thinking when you found out I was to meet you in Tokyo. You certainly should've known beforehand, right?"

The Aston Martin chuckled cynically, "it was almost as if the world had imploded, and wished to torment me in as many ways possible."

"So you didn't want to see me?"

Finn swiftly backtracked at the Jaguar's slightly hurt expression, "Well, it's just that I never expected to see you again—much less discover that my daughter had decided to follow in my tire treads without knowing it."

Yet another moment of silence filled the cabin. "Are you proud of me?"

The silvery blue spy car nearly had engine failure, and he (uncharacteristically) stumbled over his words for a moment, "it's just—I didn't think, most would expect a woman to—not that I'm implying you're inferior in any way—"Finn sighed heavily, diverting his gaze towards the carpeted ground beneath them before closing his eyes tiredly. "Yes, I'm very proud. I've…always, been proud of you…"

In that instant, he felt tires around his fender and Finn's eyes snapped open to see his daughter embracing him openly. She looked up at him with those bright, jade eyes—ones that had haunted him for so many years, in the form of another Jaguar—and smirked lightly. "You're such a softy, Finn."

"That's what your mother would always say," the Aston Martin remarked fondly, the younger car releasing him.

"You'll have to tell me more about her, later," Holley affirmed, bobbing her hood firmly. Finn could only chuckle at her determination, rather relieved that this affair had begun, and ended, without much conflict.

"You have a date?" the silvery blue spy car inquired teasingly, the normal order restored once more. His daughter only smirked, raising her hood slightly.

"Indeed I do." The Jaguar paused, as if checking her internal clock, "which is in fifteen minutes."

"Well then, don't let me keep you waiting," Finn said, gesturing extravagantly towards the lowered ramp a few feet away. Holley smiled faintly, heading for the aforementioned incline, nudging her father comfortingly for a moment as she went. The Aston Martin smiled somewhat sadly, before drawing himself up as his partner started down the ramp. "And make sure Mater keeps his tires to himself!" he called after her, only receiving an incredulous and barely held back, bark of laughter in response.

And before she was all the way down the ramp, Holley called back," And don't think for an instant that I've forgiven you for not telling me sooner!"

Finn only smirked warmly as his daughter rolled off the ramp, disappearing as she swiftly neared town. And turning backs towards the jet's interior, he knew that she was right.

It would take quite some time for her to forgive him.

But looking out of one of the dozens of windows and at the sunlight seeping through the majestic ridges of Cadillac Range in the distance, the Aston Martin couldn't help but smile. They had time.

* * *

**A/N: This is the last chapter, but I might add an epilogue. It's your call. For now, reviews would be greatly appreciated. **


	5. Endings

_**Endings**_

_Epilogue to 'Clarity'_

_~Cars 2 © PIXAR 2011~_

* * *

The atmosphere was peaceful, the small town of Radiator Springs calm and tourist free.

It was what many of the residents considered to be the 'off season' for visitors, when the summer heat became too much for the out-of-town cars to bear. The temperature dropped drastically during the evening however, leaving only a cool breeze to waft through the settlement.

The silence and emptiness that had been abhorred only a few short years ago was now a welcome change for both the permanent and non-permanent inhabitants of Radiator Springs, most of which were currently gathered at Flo's café, a nearly-nightly tradition they always had on calm nights such as these.

Holley sat beneath one of the long awnings, only paying faint attention to the conversations going on around her. The Jaguar's gaze was locked on the night sky above her, and even with the town's iridescent neon lights, the stars still shone with fervor, small glistening orbs in a blanket of dense ebony.

Attention slightly diverted to the cars around her, Holley could hear Sarge and Fillmore arguing as always, the faint music coming from Lizzie's ancient radio across the street (which sounded vaguely like 'Behind the Clouds') and the distinct hiss and whir of the large red semi, currently exchanging idle conversation with Red (or Mack was doing all the talking, while the fire truck nodded along in agreement.)

"Ya' want somethin' hun?"

Thoroughly startled, Holley turned towards the Motorama car owning the café, a tray at her side. "Oh, no thank you, Flo," the Jaguar said sincerely, shifting her left tire as she gently shook her hood. "I wouldn't want to be a bother."

Flo only chuckled at her modesty,"S'no bother, but if you don't want anything that's fine." The Motorama car snickered playfully again, beginning to turn towards her husband. "You British cars are always so proper."

Holley only smiled softly in response, glancing heavenward once more.

But yet again, the stars couldn't hold her attention forever, and she shifted her gaze towards the rest of the town around her. The violet spy car studiously avoided looking over the still abandoned part of town, with the dark and closed stores, and instead directed her gaze towards the brighter area.

Her jade eyes passed over Luigi's shop, strung lights reflecting faintly off of the stacked rubber pillar, proudly dubbed the 'Leaning Tower of Tires', shifting past Lizzie's curios, and finally landing on Mater's scrap yard/home.

It was there that she caught a quick flash of silvery blue.

Eyelids raised in confusion, Holley continued watching the gated yard, before her partner (as well as father) and her boyfriend rolled into view. And the Aston Martin appeared to be lecturing the latter.

Holley –and most likely several of the residents around her—caught brief snippets of conversation, such as 'mess up', 'Holley', 'regret it' and the oh-so-attention-grabbing 'hanging thirty thousand feet in the air before you can even think about kissing her'.

And Holley was pretty sure everyone knew who 'her' was.

The Jaguar blushed when she felt her friends' gazes fall on her, and attempted to smother her smirk as Finn released Mater from his clutches, the tow truck abruptly rushing to Holley's side as the elder spy car drove off towards Siddeley, hood held high.

As Mater ordered a quart of oil to steady his nerves, muttering about deranged spy fathers and duct tape, McQueen—who'd been one of the residents to watch the tow truck be 'chewed out'—came over to the violet spy car, eyelid raised quizzically.

"Ya'know, sometimes Finn acts _too_ much like a dad to you."

Holley shared a knowing look with Mater before turning back to the stockcar, smirk adorning her grill. "You don't know the half of it."

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to everyone who reviewed!**


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